How do you become more involved in your child’s education than you already are? Parental involvement is quite clearly a reason behind success at school. It helps children understand how important school is and stay on track. There’s also a clear link between school attainment and those who have encouraging, involved parents. We’ve shared a few ideas below from a top a level school in the UK.
Homework
Homework is a mandatory part of school and can start from as early as nursery school for children. Its purpose is to get children to practise what they have learned and highlight to teachers where further work is needed. If you’re not already setting aside time for homework, by doing so you can ensure that your child completes it and to the best of their ability. As it’s an independent learning activity, you will need to let your child complete their actual homework questions, although you can explain and create examples to work through together.
Tutor Your Child
You can also tutor your child if you’re confident in that. Just be sure that you’re following the methods taught by their teachers to avoid confusion. There is a plethora of resources online that you may also utilise to assist you.
Read Together
If you’re not so clued up on the curriculum, reading is just as important and beneficial for children. It’s an essential skill for school as it helps children with comprehension and can help them to take charge of their learning and study independently. It also can help expand their vocabulary and thus improve a variety of other skills such as their communication and writing skills.
Ask Them About Their Day
Simply asking about their day can reveal a lot. You can learn about how they’re getting on, if there’s anything they’re stuck with, how they are getting on with the social side of things and in their friendship groups.
Make The Most of Parents Evenings
The annual parents evening is a chance for parents to ask any questions they have and learn about how to support their child at school. If you have a meeting that’s pending, make the most of the opportunity by preparing questions beforehand and what you want to discuss.
Other Events
There will be many other opportunities for you to get involved in their education, such as school assemblies and competitions that you can attend and show support for your child.
Encouragement
It’s hard to be motivated 24/7, and sometimes children need a push. Words of encouragement help children develop internal self-belief and thus the confidence to do well.
Be A Part of the PTA
If you have helpful ideas with regards to the running of their school, why not join the school PTA? They give parents a voice to communicate their concerns and pitch forward ways to improve school life.
Stay Up to Date with Their School Newsletter
School newsletters are an excellent way to stay informed about the day to day running of the school your child attends and any big developments or events happening. That might be school trips, guest speakers coming into school, construction work, or cancellations. It is all likely to be communicated with parents via the newsletter, if not through email or other means.
Test Them
Tests are necessary to see how far children are in their learning and identify areas for improvement. Children can complete them at home, as well as school which can help you in terms of tutoring and develop their exam skills so they can perform even better in their actual assessments.
These are just a few ways that you can be more involved. Advice will of course vary depending on what you’re able to do with them at home, so feel free to take from this what you find relevant.
